Some people think that they can get along very well without electricity in a summer place. But life will be a lot easier if you have electricity. The job of installing your own electrical system isn't a difficult one. As in the case of plumbing, you will want to be sure that there isn't some local ordinance or utility regulation that limits what you can do yourself. Assuming that there is no reason that you can't do the work, let's get started.

The basic plan of each cottage in this book shows where your electrical outlets might be located. These are only suggestions, and you may want to add to or subtract from these recommendations. You will have to indicate the places

where you want outlets and switches. Make a sketch of the plan of the cottage, using graph paper or thin paper laid over the basic plan in the book. On the plan indicate the outlets you want.

Let's start where the electricity leaves the power line and comes into the camp. The National Electrical Code and the REA recommend that a No. 6 3-wire service cable be used from the power lines to the cottage. This size will provide you with a maximum of three 15-ampere lighting circuits, a 20-ampere appliance circuit, and a range circuit. This service will require a 60-ampere service entrance switch (fuse box or circuit breaker).

The entrance cable must be grounded but may run above ground or be buried in a shallow trench and run underground to your camp. The actual installation and connection of this cable to the power line and meter are done by the supplier of electricity. The best location for the service switch is near the point of entry of the power line.

If you are going to generate your own power, you won't have to worry about this problem. Most generators used in cottages are not large enough for heavy loads and usually are equipped with their own fuses or circuit breakers. Even though you use a generator, it would be wise to wire your house as though it were to be connected to power lines, because at some future date you may be able to connect to the main line.

Our next problem is to find out how we're going to distribute this power in the building. The diagrammatic sketch below will help you visualize how this is to be done. National Electrical Code specifies that a 15-ampere branch circuit for general illumination be installed for each 500 square feet of floor area. The use of this circuit is not limited to lighting purposes. Your television set, radio, vacuum cleaner, and similar appliances may be plugged into the circuit. Most of the cottages in this book have less than 1,000 square feet of floor area, so you will probably have only two branch circuits. The wire size should be No. 14 2-wire cable.

Your 20-ampere appliance circuit will take care of the refrigerator, coffee maker, toaster, grill, iron, and other appliances. It is wise to have this circuit in both your kitchen and dining areas. The wire for this circuit should be No. 10 2-wire cable. If you decide to use a small 110-volt hot-water heater, this can be connected to the line or you can use the third 15-ampere branch circuit. A large electric hot-water heater will definitely require separate cable.

Range circuits require No. 6 3-wire cable. The fuse or circuit breaker is 50-ampere. Even though you do not intend to have an electric range at once, it would be wise to provide the necessary service for this piece of equipment.

The illustration at the beginning of this section shows the layout of a possible circuit
for one of the cottages in this book. When you have made your own diagram, it should
be similar. You'll have to find out how many feet of cable is needed. It can be done by measuring the scaled distance from the switch box to the outlet, adding any vertical

distance the wire must travel, and then adding about 25 per cent to the total for connections, errors, and travel around beams or obstructions.

All the necessary wiring for your cottage should be done before the interior finish is applied. One of the first things to do is to attach the outlet boxes to the framing. The illustrations at the side show a number of different types of metal and plastic boxes that can be used.

When the boxes are in place, the next step is to connect them by cable to the main switch. The illustration shows how this is done. You'll have to join several lines in the process; be sure that this joining is done inside a junction box.

I think you'll find that your wiring job will be easier if you use a nonmetallic sheathed cable. This type is called Romex.

The protective sheathing is easily removed by gripping the rip cord (a string near the center and outer edge) and pulling backward. When stripping the cable, expose 6 to 8 inches of insulated wire for connections.

In unused attic space the cables may be run across the top of the ceiling beams. Cables may also be run under the main floor joists. Good practice in such a case would require that a running board about I by 2 inches be nailed to the joists and that the cable be strapped to the board every 3 feet. Sometimes it is possible to use a beam or joist as a running board if it goes in the right direction.

Be sure that every cable is fastened with a steel strap within 12 inches of every outlet and junction box. Where a cable enters a box, a connector is fastened to the outside covering of the cable. A hole is knocked out in the box and the cable run into it. A lock nut is screwed tight from inside the box. Some types of boxes have a built-in clamping device which eliminates the use of connectors. The illustration shows how the wires are joined to switches or receptacles in the box.

Tools for Electrical Work

Long-nose pliers with cutting edge are useful in cutting and stripping wire. They are similar to pliers used to remove nuts or bolts.

A soldering dipper is a small hinged container used to hold solder. Wires are dipped into the solder after being wound around each other.

Solderless connectors are made of insulating materials. Screw the connector over the end of the wires—no solder is required.

A soldering iron is a tool with a pointed end that can be heated and used to melt solder.

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